1. Why become a donor?
2. How do I become a bone marrow donor?
3. What is my commitment if I join?
4. If I'm over 60, why can't I join?
5. If I join the NMDP Registry, how likely is it that I will donate to someone?
6. What is the donation process like?
7. Can I get tested for a specific patient or family member?
8. I've already been tested for a family member. How can I add my results to the NMDP Registry?
9. I think I may have already joined. How can I verify that I am on the Registry?
10. What is a buccal swab and how is it used?
11. What do I have to do to colect the sample?
12. Does this mean I will not have to give a blook sample?
13. What happens when a person agrees to be a potential marrow donor?
14. If it's a match, what next?
15. What is the prodecure for donating?
16. What are the risks?
17. How long does it take for a marrow donor to resume normal activities?
18. Who covers the cost?
Joining the Registry
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2. How do I become a bone marrow donor?
A: You can join the NMDP Registry. Doctors around the world search our Registry to find donors for their patients. If a doctor selects you as a suitable match for a patient, you may be asked to donate bone marrow or circulating blood cells. Patients need donors between the ages of 18 and 60 who meet health guidelines and are willing to donate to any patient in need.
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3. What is my commitment if I join?
A: When you join the NMDP Registry, you make a commitment to:
You have the right to change your mind about being a donor at any time. Donating is always voluntary.
If you decide you do not want to donate, let NMDP know right away. That way they can continue the search for another donor without dangerous — even life-threatening — delays for the patient.
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4. If I'm over 60, why can't I join?
A: The age limit is not meant to discriminate. The NMDP must use chronological age to determine eligibility to protect the safety of the donor and provide the best possible treatment for the patient.
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5. If I join the NMDP Registry, how likely is it that I will donate to someone?
A: NMDP cannot predict the likelihood because there is so much diversity in tissue types. You may never be identified as a match for someone needing a transplant. Or, if yours is a common tissue type, you may be identified along with a number of other potential donors who match a patient. The patient's doctor decides which donors will be contacted.
If NMDP calls to say you are a match for a patient, you may be the one who can save the patient's life.
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6. What is the donation process like?
A: Adult donors may be asked to donate in one of two ways:
For an overview of the donation process, see Steps of Bone Marrow & PBSC Donation.
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7. Can I get tested for a specific patient or family member?
A: When you join the NMDP Registry, you make a commitment to consider donating to any searching patient who matches your tissue type. As a volunteer, you are never under any legal obligation to donate and your decision is always respected. However, because a late decision not to donate can be life-threatening to a patient, please think seriously about your commitment before deciding to join our Registry.
You can request a copy of your own tissue typing results after you join the NMDP Registry. However, if you want to be tested only for a specific patient, you will need to have your tissue typing test done privately. You can contact the patient's transplant center or transplant doctor for more information.
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8. I've already been tested for a family member. How can I add my results to the NMDP Registry?
A: Get a copy of your human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue typing lab report and contact the NMDP donor center in your area. You will need to fill out a health history form to verify you meet medical guidelines. You will also need to sign a consent form agreeing to be listed on the NMDP Registry. Once your tissue type is listed on our Registry, we will contact you if you are identified as a possible match for a patient.
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9. I think I may have already joined. How can I verify that I am on the Registry?
A: Whether you join the NMDP Registry online or in person, you are part of the same Registry. If you have previously given a blood sample or cheek cell sample to be tested for our Registry, you do not need to join again. If you are unsure whether you joined, you can complete the online form to confirm you are on the Registry or you can contact NMDP at 1 (800) MARROW-2.
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Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. Adding more donors and cord blood units from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the NMDP Registry increases the likelihood that all patients will find the match they need.
Your heritage can make all the difference.
11. What do I have to do to colect the sample?
Brush a swab against the inside of your cheek for approximately 10 seconds using the same force used to brush your teeth.
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12. Does this mean I will not have to give a blook sample?
At the time of your registration, you will not have to give a blood sample. But, if you do match a patient, you will be asked to provide blood samples for additional testing.
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13. What happens when a person agrees to be a potential marrow donor?
HLA typing will be performed on buccal swabs containing cheek cells obtained during a group testing session or by the individual walking into one of many draw sites around the country. This information is then input into a nationally recognized registry database and becomes part of their confidential computerized file. If a patient needs a marrow transplant from an unrelated donor, the Registry conducts a computerized search to identify donors with the same HLA type as the patient. The registry will then contact the potential donor to find out if they are interested in pursuing the second phase of testing. Arrangements are then made to obtain additional blood samples to determine if full compatibility exists between donor and patient.
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14. If it's a match, what next?
If buccal swab tests determine that the unrelated donor is compatible, he/she is asked to make a final commitment. Prior to the donor making his decision, the donor is provided an extensive explanation of the marrow donation procedure and a complete physical examination is performed to ensure that the prospective donor is medically eligible to donate. Only after the donor has made a final decision to donate and has passed the physical exam are arrangements made for the actual collection.
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15. What is the prodecure for donating?
If all tests confirm that an individual is the best possible donor, an information session is scheduled to educate the potential donor on the two types of donation processes (described below). A complete health check is done to ensure there is no danger to either the recipient or the donor.
Marrow donation: Marrow is removed from the bones on one or both sides of the upper hip area using a special syringe. The procedure is performed by an approved collection center, usually under light general anesthesia. The entire donation process lasts about one hour. The donor usually spends a night in the hospital for observation. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of your marrow is extracted. The body naturally replenishes the donated marrow in a week to 10 days, and it is not "missed" during that time.
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC): For a PBSC donation, you will receive daily injections of filgrastim for 4 or 5 consecutive days. Filgrastim is a blood stem cell growth factor that increases the number of blood stem cells released from your marrow into your blood stream so they can be collected through an aphaeresis procedure. In this process the donor's blood is removed through a sterile needle placed in a vein in one arm, and passed through an aphaeresis machine that separates out the stem cells; the remaining blood (minus the stem cells) is returned to the donor through a sterile needle in the other arm. Unlike marrow donation, PBSC donation does not require anesthesia, which is the most significant risk of marrow donation. PBSC donors can experience bone pain prior to the donation procedure as a result of receiving filgrastim. These effects diminish over one to two days after the last dose of filgrastim has been given.
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16. What are the risks?
More than 20,000 transplants have been performed in the United States. To date there have been no reported long term adverse effects to any donor. Only healthy candidates are accepted and there are existing medical standards approved by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to protect the donor. Donors typically experience mild discomfort and tenderness in the area where the marrow was collected, but this discomfort usually lasts just a few days and does not generally prevent normal activity.
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17. How long does it take for a marrow donor to resume normal activities?
Most donors return to their normal activities, including work, within a day or two.
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18. Who covers the cost?
There is no cost to the donor. Medical examinations and hospital expenses are paid by the recipient.
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